Like father, Like Son, Like Daughter
by voyfan7
Summary: Endgame was abrupt and didn't show us the great family reunions. This story is what I think would have happened between Tom Paris and his father when they saw each other. Simple fluff really. Spoilers for many PT episodes. Story is now complete, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1 Traveling Home

**Like Father, Like Son, Like Daughter**

AN: This is a short (semi) story that I wanted to see happen at the end of Voyager, but was not shown. There are spoilers for Drive, Endgame, and a few various other episodes that have heavy P/T story lines. As usual, I don't own the Voyager characters or anything relating to Voyager because if I did then I would be a very happy woman… lol. Ok, insert standard "paramount own everything….no money for me….blah blah blah" disclaimer here…

And now…onto the story…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 1**

Beads of sweat started to appear on his brow as his concentration, as well as his stress level, increased. The Delta Flyer glided gracefully over the San Francisco Bay, heading toward her destination. To the untrained eye it would appear as if nothing was amiss; the ship's course was perfect, and all occupants were in fine health. However, B'Elanna Torres Paris' eye was well trained, and she had no problem spotting her husband's distress. She knew this would happen. It had to eventually. They were on their way to Tom's parent's house to meet them for the first time in person since Voyager's triumphant returned to the alpha quadrent. B'Elanna knew that Tom and his father didn't get along, but she didn't think Tom would be so nervous about it.

From the corner of his eye, Tom could see B'Elanna's worried looks and he knew she was concerned about him. 'She probable thinks I am worried about my father', he thought to himself. In reality, Tom was solely concerned with a single passenger on the Flyer. He was concerned about the most valuable thing currently in Tom's life…his daughter, Miral Paris. She was only four weeks old now, and still small enough to be held with just a single hand. Currently, little Miral was quietly nessled in her mother's strong arms. Tom had never in his life been afraid of flying before, but then again he never had his only child with him in a shuttle before either. Like every new father, Tom was overly concerned about his daughter. While she may look small and fragile, she was not going to break if the shuttle experienced any sort of slight shift, or course change; she probably wouldn't even wake up. Tom Paris knew this, but he didn't want to take any chances either. He was using all the tricks he knew to keep the Flyer steady. To anybody else, it would feel as if they weren't even moving.

B'Elanna caught him glancing back at Miral a few times and she smiled amusingly at him. 'So, that's it. I have never seen him so cautious before', she thought. B'Elanna's thoughts drifted back to the past, back when she saw that look of half fear, half concentration on Tom's face. It had been on the day of the Antarian Trans-Stellar Rally. Tom and B'Elanna were in a race with the Flyer when they discovered sabatoge that threatened to destroy the ship. As Tom flew them into a space inversion that could absorb the core breach he proposed to her with "that" look on his face. He still had it on as he waited impatiently for her response after they survived. 'He really should do that more often… It's so cute', she thought at the memory. Pulling herself back to the present, B'Elanna carefully got up and, without waking Miral, made her way to Tom's side. She put her free arm on his shoulder and felt that all of his muscles were tensed with deep concentration. As if on cue, Miral made a small baby coo noise. Tom slowly let his muscles relax as he turned to look at his daughter.

Tom could stare at her for hours, and in fact he often did. When she was first born, he received the comm on the bridge from sickbay and heard her cry for the first time. He remembered going to sickbay in a sort of daze, but when he got there, when he saw her for the first time, he knew his life had finally meant something. At that moment he felt complete, like he had a purpose. Tom stayed in sickbay that night, but had no intention of sleeping. Voyager was being escorted back to Earth by nearly the entire fleet that had gathered at the transwarp aperture. Admirals were all over the ship talking to the crew and holding de-briefings. Tom's de-briefing was scheduled for 0800 the next morning. None of it concerned him in the least. Tom's attention was solely focused on watching this new life he created. He spent the entire night watching her, and giving her the early feedings the Doctor told him to. Tom listened to her breathe, watched her sleep, mentally traced her Klingon ridges on her forehead, and most of all he stared at her dirty blonde hair and remembered her piercing blue eyes. Klingon genes were dominant, but Miral inherited her hair and eyes from her father. Tom had no idea how this happened, but he didn't really care either, he was proud of it none-the-less. That night, while he watched his family sleep, he vowed to never let anything bad happen to his little girl, or his wife for that matter.

Back in the shuttle, Tom slowly took one of his hands off the controls and gently stroked Miral's cheek. She made a contented sigh-like noise and Tom sat back smiling proudly. The odds against Klingon-human conception were very high, but he had somehow beaten those odds. What man wouldn't be proud of that accomplishment? B'Elanna decided to stay next to Tom for the remainder of their short journey. Tom brought the Flyer over the Paris grounds and toward their private landing pad. Starfleet families had no need for mansions, or large estates in the 24th century, but like most of the famous Starfleet lines, the Paris Estate had been handed down for many generations. B'Elanna had never seen it before, and Tom never talked about it, but she was shocked at the size of it all.

The Paris Estate consisted of 3 main buildings. The first and largest by far, was the main house. This house could easily hold 15 or more people for weeks at a time without sacrificing comfort. The second was the guest house, slightly to the side of the main house. Why they would even need a guest house was beyond B'Elanna's understanding. The final building was odd. This one was long and thin and had two huge doors at the end. Tom explained to her that this was a horse barn and stables. Apparently, Tom's sisters, Moira and Kathleen, liked to ride horses and had several of the animals currently living in the stables. B'Elanna couldn't fathom why anybody would actually want to ride an animal, but she wasn't about to judge, at least, not yet.

Tom sat the Flyer down on the landing pad behind the buildings with the softest touch, clearly the work of a very skilled pilot. Tom leaned back and took a deep breath in anticipation. B'Elanna rubbed his back for support. "Well, here goes", he responded in a solemn voice. "You'll be fine, trust me" she replied warmly. Tom gathered their packs and baby supplies and headed to the hatch. B'Elanna was right behind him with Miral when Tom froze. On the other side of the hatch was a sight that Tom never expected to see. Tom's father, Admiral Owen Paris, was waiting for them outside dressed in a formal-like civilian outfit. At first Tom was confused. To the best of his knowledge, he had never seen his father out of uniform, and didn't recognize him at first. What happened next caused Tom to forget how to breathe. Owen looked at his son, then his daughter-in-law, finally to his grand-daughter, then back to his son again and smiled. 'What? He is smiling? He never smiles, well not at me anyway', was Tom's shocked thought to himself. Owen Paris addressed the group in a carefully chosen neutral tone, "Welcome, please, follow me inside. Your mother and sisters are inside waiting for you, and you know how impatient they can be". The senior Paris took several of Tom's bags and escorted the family inside. Unseen by Owen, B'Elanna took Tom's hand and squeezed it encouragingly at first, then almost broke a bone or two. At that point Tom finally remembered to breathe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's it for chapter 1, more to come! Please, Please, PLEASE read and review!! Let me know what you thought… what sucked… anything at all. Thank you!!!


	2. Family Reunion

AN: Thank you all for your reviews!! I love hearing comments, even bad ones although they aren't as fun… I wanted to thank bugman62002 for correcting my reference to "Drive". I got my nebula's confused. It was a J-Class nebula at the end of the episode, not the Mobious Inversion that I had originally been thinking about. One thing I forgot to mention in the first chapter, I assume that Pathways is the correct character history, and that the Voyager crew has been held onboard for a few weeks until all of the de-briefings have taken place. So, in essence, the crew is just now getting to Earth. (Except Tuvok, obvious reasons, but who cares about him, you want to read about Tom.)

Ok, on to chapter 2!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2 – Family Reunion

Once inside, Tom had just enough time to drop his bags to the floor before Moira and Kathleen all but tackled him into the front door. As if by some unspoken queue, both sisters eventually stopped fussing over their younger brother and moved aside as Tom's mother embraced her son. It was a quiet moment of melding hearts as they stood in the entrance way together. Tom's mother began to lightly cry with relief and happiness. B'Elanna smiled when she noticed that Tom had a tear of his own in his eye. His mother backed away reluctantly and turned to B'Elanna.

"My dear, welcome to the family", she said with a commanding, but heartfelt tone. B'Elanna knew she would get along with this woman, she could almost feel the power and strength Tom's mother emanated as she carefully hugged B'Elanna without jostling Miral.

At that time, Tom finally came out of his shocked, dream state and remembered to introduce his new family. "Well, as I am sure you have already heard, this is my lovely wife, B'Elanna" Tom said, indicating his wife with a quick kiss on the cheek. "And as I am sure you probably only just heard this is our daughter, Miral Kathryn Paris". Tom couldn't even begin to hide his pride while introducing his daughter. B'Elanna caught him puffing out his chest a little as he stood there under his family's watchful gaze. For her part, Miral was as proud as her father and made a decidedly stubborn, but cute sound. As the female Paris' oo'd and ah'd over Miral while fighting over who got to hold her and who thought she was just the cutest baby ever, Owen Paris moved cautiously behind his son and gently placed his arm over Tom's shoulder. Tom's explosive smile of self pride faltered for a split second at the contact.

"Thomas, a lot has changed since you left. I was wondering if you would be willing to take a walk with me. There is something I need to show you." Owen chose his words carefully, using an encouraging tone. He knew his son would be leery, but it was important that they talk, for both their sakes.

Tom looked quickly at B'Elanna through the crowd that had gathered and caught her eye for only a second. One look was all he needed, after so many years together Tom could read B'Elanna's eyes as if they spoke out loud to him. _"Go, you know you want to. It is what you have secretly wanted for so long, I will be fine here"_ her eyes said to him. Looking back at his father, he simply replied: "sure". With that, father and son left the joyous group of women to fuss over Miral and B'Elanna by themselves.

Once outside, Owen led his son to their landing pad, and the Paris' private family shuttle. "We will have to fly there, but it isn't far. If you don't mind I will give you the coordinates, you have always been a better pilot than me" he said to his son. Tom was taken back by the rare compliment from his father, but nodded and forced a small smile out of his confused brain.

Inside the shuttle, Tom's thoughts drifted back to his father. It all seemed so different; as if everything had changed. His father was not the same cold-hearted man he used to be, at least not completely. Tom could see the subtle differences in his father, and decided to take B'Elanna's advice and give him a chance.

The shuttle ride, which was just shy of 10 minutes, was spent in comfortable silence between the Paris men. Each one was observing the other, deciding what to make of them. Of course, neither one realized that the other was doing the exact same thing. Father and son were so much alike that it was often the cause of their fights, but neither one would admit it. Tom's mother, as well as B'Elanna could easily see this and both woman had tried to pass on this enlightenment, but the Paris' were known for their stubborn nature. Neither Tom, nor Owen ever chose to listen.

Tom set the shuttle down in what appeared to be a lovely park. He vaguely remembered it from when he was younger. An image of a small boy with a hover ball running through the grass suddenly appeared in Tom's mind.

As fate would have it, Owen was recalling that same memory, Tom had only been 5 years old at that time, and more than enough to handle. The Admiral had to keep a constant eye on his son, or else Thomas was likely to get himself into trouble in no time flat. A hint of a smile grazed Owens's face as he pushed the memory aside. He led Tom out into the park to an assembly of large marble stones that had been laid upright into an open pavilion in the grass.

Tom sent a confused look to his father before he stepped closer to read what had been written in the center stone. The inscription was long, but what caught Tom's eye was the sentence: "…Dedicated to the memories of those honored officers aboard the USS Voyager…" He had to step back for a second. This beautiful stone exhibit was a memorial, a memorial for Voyager. After a few long and deep breaths Tom was able to go back and read the rest of the inscription…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, trust me, this chapter is holding the story together, but if you stick with me the next one is going to be worth it. I haven't finished it yet, but it should be up in a few days. Like always… comments, questions, concerns, anything, let me know. Most of all, I hope you enjoyed it, sorry about the cliffhanger but you know you can't wait for the next part!


	3. Memorial

AN: Wow, I am SOO sorry for taking so long to update, had a hectic week with classes, but I have great news! I AM DONE! That's right, this story is done! I am posting the last chapters all together, so there won't be anymore notes or cliffhangers. Yey! So, now, enjoy and let me know what you thought! Thank you all for reviewing, it matters a lot to me! On to the story…

Chapter 3: Memorial

After taking a minute to gather his thoughts and emotions, Tom Paris again stepped up to the memorial in front of him and read the rest of the inscription.

"This memorial is dedicated to those honored officers aboard the USS Voyager, which was lost in action in 2371."

"In 2374, it was discovered that the USS Voyager and crew had survived, and are currently in the Delta Quadrant. This memorial has been redesigned to honor the memories of each crewman, either living or dead, in the words of their family and friends. God Speed."

Tom was shocked; it was obvious that the memorial had been redesigned. The large curved marble stones were clearly added on, and the main stone bore even more clues that the last part was added on after they were found to be alive. '_That must have shocked them all, they thought we were dead _' he thought to himself. Owen gave his son the space he needed to take all this in and simply stood aside while Tom walked around the memorial.

While investigating the curved marble stones, Tom saw that each crewmember had a section designated for them. Most were filled in, but some remained empty. Seven and Icheb were among them. Each person had about a one page dedication, but some were longer. The far stone was designated for non-Starfleet crew members, like Neelix and Kes. The rest of the stones were arranged in order of rank. Tom was quite surprised to find his own dedication among the senior staff section right in the front, fourth in line. Captain Janeway had only given him a field commission, and he never expected Starfleet to acknowledge it, but there he was, Lt. Thomas Eugene Paris. His dedication was longer than most, except for Janeway's which, he noted, was written by Mark. He couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and looked closely to read his dedication.

"Thomas, it has taken me over a year before I could truly believe that you were gone. In that year fate forced me to step back and take a hard look at life. What I saw appalled me. It is hard for even me to believe, but I only wanted the best for you. Somehow over the years, that turned into wanting the best _out_ of you. There are simply no words for me to express the emotions I felt when I discovered this error on my part. You were such a great child, always trying to make me proud. I was a horrible father, and I wanted more. I was never satisfied. How could I have let this happen? My proud boy and I forced you out of my life. When I heard Voyager was lost, and thought to be destroyed, my heart broke. What had I done? Our last meeting ended in a tragic disaster and I didn't even have the chance of redemption. Now I know that you are alive and I will gladly eat my pride to make these many wrongs right. I hope one day you will be standing here, reading this, because you have the right to hear it. You have the right to a father who loves you, who is proud of you. I do not expect you to ever forgive me, I do not deserve that, I only hope that you may be able to understand my mistakes and never let them happen to you. Learn from my poor example and make yourself a better person. You have always been, and always will be a far better person than me. You, in yourself, bring honor to the Paris name. One day, I hope to see you in person, and tell you how proud I am, how proud I have _always_ been."

I love you Thomas,

My Son

Time was at a standstill. The winds were frozen and the birds seemed to hover in mid-air. For these few precious seconds nothing moved, save for one thing. As Tom stared in awe at his dedication several tears ran slowly down his cheeks unnoticed. He took a minute to re-read it, thinking that somehow he was imagining something or couldn't have read it right. When the second reading proved that it was real, he took a few steps back and re-joined where his father was standing.

Owen was watching his son, trying to observe Tom's reaction.

Tom didn't know what to say, what was there to say? Here, written for the whole world to see was the most personal declaration of apology from one of the most private men in Starfleet. He truly was eating his pride, the greatest sacrifice Admiral Paris could ever make.

Tom did the only thing he could, moving as if on some instinct, he turned and hugged his father. Never bothering to wipe the tears off his face, or hide his emotions behind his usual carefully placed mask. "I love you, and I forgive you. Dad." He softly said in his father's ear.


	4. A New Beginning

Chapter 4 – A New Beginning

Father and son spent hours walking through the park, sharing stories as if they were brothers who hadn't seen each other in many years. Tom did most of the talking, but that was ok for Owen. He enjoyed listening to his son tell him about Voyager, and B'Elanna. It had been so long since either one of them could talk about each other without yelling or getting angry, let along talk _to_ each other. When the sun started to fade across the horizon, both men were shocked to realize how many hours they had actually spent talking. They decided it was beyond time to head back, they didn't want anybody thinking they had killed each other.

The shuttle ride back seemed to be even faster than when they left the house. Before they entered the house, they heard a high-pitched, angry noise. Tom's trained ears identified the sound before Owen was even sure he heard anything. Miral was unhappy, Tom was sure of that. He was also sure that her mother was feeling about the same. Anytime Miral was unhappy, B'Elanna was unhappy. When they finally made it inside, Admiral Paris and his son were surprised to see the whole family sitting at the table looking at books. They could hear Miral's cries from the other room.

B'Elanna had tried to put her down for her nap, but Miral was not in the mood for napping. Tom's mother had told her to just put her down and that she would eventually stop crying. B'Elanna was leery, and for the past 2 hours Miral had apparently not even thought of napping. Before she could even get a word in, Tom went right to Miral.

As soon as Miral had Tom in her sights, she stopped crying and smiled. Tom scooped her up in his arms and she couldn't have been happier.

"Daddy's little girl. She will have him wrapped around her finger in no time", Kathleen commented.

"I think she already does", Moira added.

While everybody was laughing good-naturedly at Moira, Owen smiled at the sight of his son playing with his granddaughter and took a seat near B'Elanna, his new daughter-in-law. Owen smiled when he realized what they were all looking at. Tom brought Miral with him and sat between B'Elanna and his father. '_Things seem to be alright with them_' she thought. As if hearing her thoughts, Tom addressed the group who had been staring at the Paris men since they entered.

"Dad and I had a long talk," he paused as his father and he shared an amused look at his mention of a 'long' talk, it had been long indeed, "and we put everything behind us." They all smiled, relieved that they didn't kill each other. Tom glanced down at the table and gasped in horror. "Oh NO! NO WAY!" he said. All the women looked at him with that same gleam in their eyes. They had spent the last several hours looking at family photo albums, Tom's specifically.

"Really, Tom, I don't see why you are so upset. You were so adorable" B'Elanna teased. "Were??" he answered back. B'Elanna playfully swatted his arm and Miral gave a half cry. "You should listen to your daughter. She thinks I am still adorable, don't you?" he asked Miral while lightly tickling her. In response, Miral threw-up right on his chest. Everyone shared a heartfelt laugh, even Tom was amused.

The rest of the night was spent trading childhood stories, and B'Elanna learned a lot about her husband that he neglected to share before. Everybody had a blast. Tom and B'Elanna stayed in the main house for a few extra days. Moira and Kathleen worked out their schedules to allow them to stay for those extra days as well, that way the whole family could be together. Tom's mother was surprised to see that Owen had put in vacation days. In over 30 years with Starfleet, he had never used a vacation day. He actually had over 100 vacation days available.

She smiled to herself as she silently watched him put the paperwork through his personal computer console in the office. Making her way quietly down the hallway she saw Tom and B'Elanna asleep in each other's arms with the door cracked enough to allow any of Miral's cries to be heard. Little Miral was asleep in the make-shift nursery right across the short hallway. '_This is the family I have always wanted. I almost gave up on those two, but clearly they never stopped loving each other_' she thought about Tom and Owen. She spent the night in the nursery, watching Miral sleep, before she herself drifted off to sleep.

Owen crept out of his office to check on the family without waking them. He saw Tom and B'Elanna catching up on some much-needed rest, and was immensely happy that his son had found his sole-mate. Right across the hallway was the nursery he had worked on for a week after he found out about his granddaughter. He crept inside and saw his wife fast asleep beside Miral's crib. He gently picked her up and brought her to bed. '_My family. whole again. Tom, how can I ever thank you for this?_' he thought to himself as he finally lay down and went to sleep.


End file.
